OK, maybe more “fun” than “bold” … but here are some things to look for this new year:

The Pirates end their one-game losing streak to Manatee Community College on March 2. Actually, it’s called the State College of Florida now.

The Bucs have come away with thrilling wins on Opening Day for three years in a row. 2010 is no different – on a snowy, blustery April 5 afternoon at PNC Park, the Bucs and Dodgers remain scoreless for 9 innings thanks to brilliant outings by Ross Ohlendorf and Clayton Kershaw. Manny Ramirez blasts a grand slam in the 14th inning to give LA a 4-0 lead, but Garrett Jones hits a grand slam of his own in the bottom of the 14th to tie it. Two innings later, Akinori Iwamura doubles to deep left. Manny slips on a patch of ice on the warning track as he picks up the ball, then throws wildly back towards the infield as Aki races home for the walk-off inside the parker.

That game, combined with his ultra cool personality and gritty style of play, makes Iwamura a Mientkiewicz-esque fan favorite in Pittsburgh.

The starting pitching and offense both do a nice job early on, but a league-worst bullpen holds the Pirates back. They hover around 5-10 games below .500 for the first half of the year. Closer Joel Hanrahan is the ‘pen’s lone bright spot, but he sees far too few save opportunities.

Jeff Clement starts the season at first base. He doesn’t light the world on fire, but puts up average numbers and is more serviceable than the likes of Steve Pearce or an aging free agent.

Ronny Cedeno and Bobby Crosby both go through maddening hot-and-cold streaks, and John Russell adds to the chaos by always starting Crosby the day after Cedeno has a big game (and vice versa).

Pedro Alvarez arrives in Pittsburgh in late June. Andy LaRoche, having a nice year, moves to 2nd base. Iwamura is traded for a reliever who throws 100 MPH, and fans are outraged. Pedro starts out slowly but steadily improves into August and September.

Brad Lincoln joins the rotation after an injury to Paul Maholm. He pitches well, but the numbers fail to reflect it thanks to terrible offense and defense behind him each day he starts. Tim Alderson replaces him as Indianapolis’ ace.

The only other significant trade (besides Iwamura): Ryan Doumit, for a first-base prospect with big-time power. Jason Jaramillo takes over temporarily, but Tony Sanchez continues to tear up the minor leagues.

Jose Tabata joins the club in late July. He continues to hit well and behave, but also continues to show little power. Thanks to Garrett Jones’ ability to play both 1B and RF, Tabata essentially platoons with Jeff Clement.

All that midseason chaos – prospects arriving, Doumit/Iwamura traded, Maholm injury – lead to a typical Bucs “summer swoon” taking them out of the hunt for .500 and the division/wild-card race.

Once everything is in place, however, the Pirates go nuts in late August and September, assembling a 12 game win streak and finishing with 76 wins – more than anyone could’ve guessed they’d end up with in early August.

The Nationals pass on Bryce Harper, leaving him for the Pirates to draft. The Pirates ALSO pass on Harper, infuriating everyone around the team – that is, until Harper becomes a huge bust.

Pittsburgh’s All-Star representative is Lastings Milledge, thanks to a remarkable fan-voting effort led by Pirates bloggers. (McCutchen gets snubbed, much like 2009′s ROY voting.) Lastings is booed mercilessly during introductions in Los Angeles, but quiets the crowd with a majestic bomb in the first inning. After taunting fans on his way to the field, Charlie Manuel pulls him after one inning. Milledge, who had been stuck in a massive slump after being named to the NL team a few weeks prior to the ASG, goes on a 26 game hitting streak following the All-Star break.

The Bucs and Brewers brawl five times over the course of the season. Nearly everyone on both sides is plunked by wild pitches, and ejections are commonplace when the two teams meet. Milwaukee wins all the matchups played at Miller Park, but the Bucs go undefeated against the Brew Crew at PNC.